Éponine finally reached the old abandon house, a place once filled with hope, now filled with sadness.
'Ponine circled the table and chairs where her friends once sat. Victor Laszlo rushed in.
"Well? I heard the explosion! Did we do it?"
Éponine answered his question with her face.
"What happened?!" Victor asked,
"Marcus, Rolf, Dietrich and Franz are all...dead." she responded. "We didn't succeed. Hitler's speech wasn't long enough."
Victor looked stricken, "All dead...isn't this a turn of events. One man's life traded for four young men's lives. We're going to have to break up the resistance for now to avoid suspicion we'll all have to leave Germany and go to different countries."
"Do you mind if I go to Warsaw, Poland? There's someone there who needs to know of Franz's death."
"If that's where you want to go." Victor replied, "This is it then." He held out his hand for her to shake it, "Good luck to you."
But Éponine embraced him warmly and whispered in his ear, "Thank you for being a wonderful leader. I'll miss you, and may we one day meet again."
They smiled at one another, then Victor Laszlo left the building. Éponine was all alone now...
" There's a grief that can't be spoken." 'Ponine sang softly, "There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables,
Now my friends are dead and gone.
Here they talked of revolution.
Here it was they lit the flame.
Here they sang about tomorrow,
And tomorrow never came.
From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing
And I can hear them now!
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion.
At this lonely broken house, at dawn." Éponine now had tears streaming as she knelt down next to Franz's chair,
"Oh my friends, my friends forgive me,
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on." Éponine looked to the window in pain,
"Phantom faces at the windows!
Phantom shadows on the floor!
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more!
Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me!
What your sacrifice was for!
Empty chairs at empty tables,
Where my friends will say no more…" Éponine wept softly as she leaned on the chair where Franz once sat.
November 8th, 1939
Warsaw, Poland
The Ghettos
"Alissa! Settle down!" Elsa laughed at the ten year old's energy, "You must go to bed!"
"Can Anna sing me a bedtime song again?" Alissa asked.
Elsa looked to the corner where Anna was snoring loudly and smiled, "I think not, see?" Elsa pointed to her sleeping sister.
"Then...can you sing me a song?" Alissa asked, "I heard you when you were singing outside that one day and you have a beautiful voice!"
"Well...thank you!" Elsa replied, "But I really don't feel like singing right now." She glanced at Alissa's father. He hadn't spoken to her since she had told him that Franz was taken. It seemed like he was blaming her for it all.
"Please!" Alissa pleaded. Elsa sighed in defeat.
"Alright. This is a song that I think your father would enjoy as well." Elsa cleared her throat,
"God on high
Hear my prayer.
In my need
You, have always been there.
He is young,
He's afraid.
Let him rest,
Heaven blessed.
Bring him home,
Bring him home,
Bring him home.
Bring him peace,
Bring him joy.
He is young,
He is only a boy.
You can take!
You can give!
Let him be,
Let him live.
If I die, let me die!
Let him live...
Bring him home,
Bring him home,
Bring him home..." Elsa finished.
"Was that a song about Franz?" Alissa yawned.
"Yes," Elsa wiped a tear away, "Yes it was... now, it's time for you to go to sleep now. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Alissa replied as she lay down.
Elsa got up and walked over to Anna and a thought struck her. Tomorrow, it would be one year since her father's death and she still hadn't told Anna yet! Anna had gone a whole year thinking that her father was alive in a German concentration camp with her mother, when really, he was no more. Tomorrow, she would spring the news...gently.
November 9th, 1929
The Ghettos in Warsaw, Poland
Morning
"Anna! Anna wake up, wake up!" Elsa whispered,
"Huh?" Anna woke up with major bedhead, "What is it?"
"There something I need to tell you before I leave to the factory for work."
"Yeah? Fire away."
"This might be hard for you, remember when I told you a year ago that mother was taken and I didn't know where father was? Well I did, I had witnessed his death on The Night of Broken Glass when his store was destroyed, and he was too."
"What?" Anna had tears in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want to hurt you." Elsa replied,
"Well it hurts even more now that I know you lied to me!"
"I didn't lie to you! I just improved the truth, a little."
"A little?" Anna stormed, "You mean a lot! Thanks for always being there for me!" She cried sarcastically and ran out of the ghetto house.
"Anna wait!" Elsa ran after her, but she was out of sight already. Elsa sighed, now two people were mad at her.
Elsa walked to the factory to work and perhaps to forget about everything for awhile. But that was not to be.
Anna ran while her tears fell to the ground. She ran and ran until she was out of breath. Anna looked up to find she had stopped at a church. She just stood in front of the door for a few minutes before going in.
She walked in cautiously, and found that no one was there.
Anna slowly walked down the aisle, touching her hand to each of the wooden pews,
" You were once my one companion,
You were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and father,
Then my world was shattered...
Wishing you were somehow here again!
Wishing you were somehow near'
Sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed,
Somehow you would be here.
Wishing I could hear your voice again,
Knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you, won't help me to do,
All that you dreamed I could!
Passing bells and sculpted angels,
Cold and monumental.
Seem for you the wrong companions,
You were warm and gentle..." Anna sat in the front pew,
"Too many years, fighting back tears,
Why can't the past just die?
Wishing you were somehow here again!
Knowing we must say goodbye.
Try to forgive, teach me to live,
Give me the strength to try!
No more memories, no more silent tears,
No more gazing across the wasted years...
Help me say goodbye." She looked up, "Help me say goodbye!"
